Page 94 of Mountain Grump
The old bitch gasps as she looks at me. “Excuse me?”
I hold her gaze, letting her see how serious I am.
And I keep my expression flat when she finally notices my eyes and flinches.
Tilda’s mom huffs. “Tilly?—”
“Don’t call me that.” Tilda cuts her off, and I almost smile.
“Ma-tilda.” The older woman rolls her eyes as she emphasizes the name obnoxiously. “Can we please get started?”
A male voice calls something from inside the law office, and the shitty not-mother woman shouts back, “We’re coming.”
Tilda gestures toward the office. “After you.”
Her family files back through the door, and I dip my head, speaking quietly against her ear. “Do you want me to come in with you?”
She keeps her attention forward, on the enemy, but shakes her head. “Thank you, but no.”
“You’re sure?”
She nods, then tips her head up to look at me. “I’m sure, Ranger.”
Accepting her answer, I straighten and let my hand slide down her spine as she steps away.
When the door closes behind her, I sit on the bench beside the door. And wait.
Chapter 61
Tilda
The law firm is small,just a waiting room area with a woman behind a reception desk and one office.
The door to the office is open, and my cousin Ralph is standing in the threshold, sneering like the rat he is.
I ignore him, making sure our shoulders don’t touch as I step into the office.
Everyone else is still standing, whispering to each other, so I circle around them and claim one of the four visitor chairs in the room.
A man about my dad’s age sits on the other side of the desk.
He nods at me. “You must be Matty.”
“I am. Nice to meet you.” I give him a tight smile.
The familiarity of hearing the name my uncle called me helps to settle some of my nerves.
I smooth my skirt over my lap. Being in a room with this much family is a nightmare. But knowing Ethan is waiting in the hall—that he’ll fly me out of here as soon as I ask him to—makes this all slightly more tolerable.
Ralph sniffs, like he’s fighting a cold, and leans against the wall nearest me.
Gross.
Mother takes the chair next to mine, then Ralph’s parents—Aunt Gunnie, who doesn’t like my yellow dress, and her ever-silent husband—take the remaining chairs. Everyone else stands behind us.
I keep my attention forward.
I just have to sit through a few minutes of the lawyer talking.
